Surface finishes with low rbtv for fine and mixed bump pitch architectures

ABSTRACT

Embodiments described herein include electronic packages and methods of forming such packages. An electronic package includes a package substrate, first conductive pads formed over the package substrate, where the first conductive pads have a first surface area, and second conductive pads over the package substrate, where the second conductive pads have a second surface area greater than the first surface area. The electronic package also includes a solder resist layer over the first and second conductive pads, and a plurality of solder resist openings that expose one of the first or second conductive pads. The solder resist openings of the electronic package may include conductive material that is substantially coplanar with a top surface of the solder resist layer. The electronic package further includes solder bumps over the conductive material in the solder resist openings, where the solder bumps have a low bump thickness variation (BTV).

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a division of U.S. patent application No.16/177,022, filed on Oct. 31, 2018, the entire contents of which ishereby incorporated by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to electronic packaging,and more particularly, to electronic packages with uniform solderthicknesses over mixed bump pitch architectures.

BACKGROUND

Embedded multi-die interconnect bridges (EMIBs) have several build-uplayers of alternating organic dielectric laminate and copper. Thecombination of these layers results in high cumulative thicknessvariation. High thickness variation negatively impacts the assemblyprocess window making the C4 area bump thickness variation (BTV)specification one of the most important parameters for successfulpackage assembly. As packages continue to scale to smaller form factors,bridge counts are projected to increase and bump pitches may shrinkbelow 40 microns. This puts additional pressure on further reducing BTVin order to successfully assemble the packages.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments described herein illustrated by way of example and notlimitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which likereferences indicate similar features. Furthermore, some conventionaldetails have been omitted so as not to obscure from the inventiveconcepts described herein.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional illustration of an electronic package thatillustrates the bump thickness variation (BTV) that arises fromnon-uniform pad pitches and pad dimensions.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional illustration of an electronic package withlithographically defined via that allows for improved BTV, in accordancewith an embodiment.

FIGS. 3A-3H are a series of cross-sectional illustrations that depict aprocess using lithographically defined vias to provide solder bumps withlow BTV, in accordance with an embodiment.

FIGS. 4A-4F are a series of cross-sectional illustrations that depict aprocess using a self-aligned via (SAV) process to provide solder bumpswith low BTV, in accordance with an embodiment.

FIGS. 5A-5F are a series of cross-sectional illustrations that depict aprocess using lithographically defined vias to provide solder bumps withlow BTV, in accordance with an embodiment.

FIGS. 6A-6H are a series of cross-sectional illustrations that depict aprocess using a conformal tin fill to provide solder bumps with low BTV,in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional illustration of an electronic package thatincludes solder bumps with low BTV formed in accordance with embodimentsdescribed herein.

FIG. 8 is a schematic of a computing device built in accordance with anembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Described herein are electronic packages with solder bumps with low bumpthickness variation (BTV) and methods of forming such electronicpackages. As such, some of the embodiments of the electronic packagesand processes described below enable a conformal tin (Sn) fill on one ormore surfaces/layers of such packages, which thereby provides a superioruniformity of a low rBTV and thus a substantially increasedthermo-compression bonding (TCB) yield. In the following description,numerous specific details are set forth, such as specific material andtooling regimes, in order to provide a thorough understanding ofembodiments of the present disclosure.

It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that embodiments of thepresent disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. Inother instances, well-known features, such as integrated circuit designlayouts such as single or dual damascene processing, are not describedin detail in order to not unnecessarily obscure embodiments of thepresent disclosure. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the variousembodiments shown in the Figures are illustrative representations andare not necessarily drawn to scale. In some cases, various operationswill be described as multiple discrete operations, in turn, in a mannerthat is most helpful in understanding the present disclosure, however,the order of description should not be construed to imply that theseoperations are necessarily order dependent. In particular, theseoperations need not be performed in the order of presentation.

As used herein, the terms “top,” “bottom,” “upper,” “lower,”“lowermost,” and “uppermost” when used in relationship to one or moreelements are intended to convey a relative rather than absolute physicalconfiguration. Thus, an element described as an “uppermost element” or a“top element” in a device may instead form the “lowermost element” or“bottom element” in the device when the device is inverted. Similarly,an element described as the “lowermost element” or “bottom element” inthe device may instead form the “uppermost element” or “top element” inthe device when the device is inverted.

Likewise, certain terminology may also be used in the followingdescription for the purpose of reference only, and thus are not intendedto be limiting. For example, terms such as “upper”, “lower”, “above”,“below,” “bottom,” and “top” refer to directions in the drawings towhich reference is made. Terms such as “front”, “back”, “rear”, and“side” describe the orientation and/or location of portions of thecomponent within a consistent but arbitrary frame of reference which ismade clear by reference to the text and the associated drawingsdescribing the component under discussion. Such terminology may includethe words specifically mentioned above, derivatives thereof, and wordsof similar import.

Embodiments described herein may be directed to front-end-of-line (FEOL)semiconductor processing and structures. FEOL is the first portion ofintegrated circuit (IC) fabrication where the individual devices (e.g.,transistors, capacitors, resistors, etc.) are patterned in thesemiconductor substrate or layer. FEOL generally covers everything up to(but not including) the deposition of metal interconnect layers.Following the last FEOL operation, the result is typically a wafer withisolated transistors (e.g., without any wires).

Embodiments described herein may be directed to back end of line (BEOL)semiconductor processing and structures. BEOL is the second portion ofIC fabrication where the individual devices (e.g., transistors,capacitors, resistors, etc.) are interconnected with wiring on thewafer, e.g., the metallization layer or layers. BEOL includes contacts,insulating layers (dielectrics), metal levels, and bonding sites forchip-to-package connections. In the BEOL part of the fabrication stagecontacts (pads), interconnect wires, vias and dielectric structures areformed. For modern IC processes, more than 10 metal layers may be addedin the BEOL.

Embodiments described below may be applicable to FEOL processing andstructures, BEOL processing and structures, or both FEOL and BEOLprocessing and structures. In particular, although an exemplaryprocessing scheme may be illustrated using a FEOL processing scenario,such approaches may also be applicable to BEOL processing. Likewise,although an exemplary processing scheme may be illustrated using a BEOLprocessing scenario, such approaches may also be applicable to FEOLprocessing.

These electronic devices described herein may be implemented in one ormore components associated with an integrated circuit (IC) and/orbetween various such components. As described herein, the terms chip,integrated circuit (IC), monolithic device, semiconductor device,semiconductor package, and microelectronic device, are often usedinterchangeably in the semiconductor packaging field, and thus theembodiments described herein may be applicable to all of the above asknown in this field.

In various embodiments, components associated with an IC include, forexample, transistors, diodes, power sources, resistors, capacitors,inductors, sensors, transceivers, receivers, antennas, etc. Componentsassociated with an IC may include those that are mounted on IC or thoseconnected to an IC. The IC may be either analog or digital and may beused in a number of applications, such as microprocessors,optoelectronics, logic blocks, audio amplifiers, etc., depending on thecomponents associated with the IC. The IC may be employed as part of achipset for executing one or more related functions in, for example, acomputer.

Additionally, the embodiments described herein may be implementedfurther in one or more electronic devices. Non-limiting examples ofelectronic devices that may utilize the technologies described hereininclude any kind of mobile device and/or stationary device, such asmicroelectromechanical systems (MEMS) based electrical systems,gyroscopes, advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS), 5G communicationsystems, cameras, cell phones, computer terminals, desktop computers,electronic readers, facsimile machines, kiosks, netbook computers,notebook computers, internet devices, payment terminals, personaldigital assistants, media players and/or recorders, servers (e.g., bladeserver, rack mount server, combinations thereof, etc.), set-top boxes,smart phones, tablet personal computers, ultra-mobile personalcomputers, wired telephones, combinations thereof, and the like. Suchdevices may be portable or stationary. In some embodiments, thetechnologies described herein may be employed in a desktop computer,laptop computer, smart phone, tablet computer, netbook computer,notebook computer, personal digital assistant, server, combinationsthereof, and the like. More generally, the technologies described hereinmay be employed in any of a variety of electronic devices, including anelectronic device with a high bandwidth memory packagearchitecture/process which stacks one or more next-generation highbandwidth low latency (HBLL) memory dies using redistribution layers(RDLs), through mold vias (TMVs), and/or passive silicon interposers(e.g., as shown below in FIGS. 1 and 2 ).

In the following description, various aspects of the illustrativeimplementations will be described using terms commonly employed by thoseskilled in the art to convey the substance of their work to othersskilled in the art. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in theart that the present embodiments may be practiced with only some of thedescribed aspects. For purposes of explanation, specific numbers,materials and configurations are set forth in order to provide athorough understanding of the illustrative implementations. However, itwill be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present embodimentsmay be practiced without the specific details. In other instances,well-known features are omitted or simplified in order not to obscurethe illustrative implementations.

Various operations will be described as multiple discrete operations, inturn, in a manner that is most helpful in understanding the presentembodiments, however, the order of description should not be construedto imply that these operations are necessarily order dependent. Inparticular, these operations need not be performed in the order ofpresentation.

As noted above, bump thickness variation (BTV) is an increasinglyimportant parameter as electronic packages (e.g., embedded multi-dieinterconnect bridge (EMIB) packages) continue to scale to include morebridges and smaller bump pitches. For example, FIG. 1 provides across-sectional illustration of an electronic package 100 that includessolder bumps 122 and 124 with high BTV.

In FIG. 1 , the electronic package 100 may include a package substrate105. The package substrate 105 may comprise alternating layers oforganic build-up layers and conductive (e.g., copper) routing layers 107and vias 108, as is known in the art. In an embodiment, a bridgesubstrate 180 may be embedded in the package substrate 105. In anembodiment, the bridge substrate 180 may be a silicon bridge or a bridgemade of any other substrate material that is suitable for formingbridges. In an embodiment, routing layers 107 and vias 108 mayelectrically couple first pads 110 and second pads 112 over the packagesubstrate 105 to the bridge substrate 180 and other components and/orcircuitry in the electronic package 100.

In an embodiment, a solder resist layer 130 may be formed over thepackage substrate 105. The solder resist layer 130 may comprise aplurality of solder resist openings 131-132 that expose the first pads110 and second pads 112, respectively. In an embodiment, the first pads110 may have a tighter pitch and a smaller dimension than the secondpads 112. As such, in this embodiment, the solder resist openings 131over the first pads 110 may also have a smaller diameter (or a tighterpitch and a smaller dimension) than the solder resist openings 132 overthe second pads 112.

The difference in pitch and dimension of the first pads 110 and thesecond pads 112 results in the plating of conductive material depositedin the openings 132 to be non-uniform. For example, the conductivematerial 114 in the openings 131 over first pads 110 are completelyfilled, whereas the conductive material 116 in the openings 132 oversecond pads 112 does not completely fill the openings 132 since theopenings are larger. That is, the conductive material 116 includes arecess 117. Since a recess 117 is formed in conductive material 116 andconductive material 114 completely fills the solder resist openings 131,the subsequently plated first solder bumps 122 and second solder bumps124 will have a high BTV. As shown, a difference in the solder bumpheight D between the first solder bumps 122 formed over tightly spacedfirst pads 110 and the second solder bumps 124 formed over larger secondpads 112 is obtained in such configurations.

Accordingly, embodiments disclosed herein include solder resist openingsthat are completely filled with conductive material regardless of thedimensions of the solder resist opening. As such, the solder bumpsformed over the solder resist openings will have a uniform thicknesseven when the solder resist openings have a non-uniform pitch and/or anon-uniform dimension. These embodiments described below are thusdirected to approaches/processes, structures and architectures thatenable disposing a conformal Sn fill in one or more openings, surfaces,or layers in/on an electronic package. In particular, the embodimentsdescribed below provide one or more approaches to overcome the lack ofvia filling Sn chemistries by disposing/forming solder bumps whilemaintaining a low rBTV.

According to an embodiment, one approach illustrated/described belowinvolves utilizing a Lithographic Via (LiV) process that overcomes theneed for Sn filling by planarizing a laminated dielectric over one ormore litho-defined copper (Cu) filled vias and forming the Sn bump overthe vias using a conformal plating approach (e.g., as shown in FIGS.3A-3H). In other embodiments, another approach illustrated/describedbelow also overcomes the need for Sn filling by patterning a dielectricfilm resist (DFR) inside the solder resist opening after the seed layerformation (e.g., as shown in FIGS. 4A-4F), thus enabling a conformal Snplating and additionally eliminating the need for one or moreplanarization and processing steps that may be needed in the firstapproach.

Some of the advantages of these embodiments include: (i) overcoming thelimited chemistries of Sn via fillings used to form solder bumps, whilemaintaining a low rBTV; (ii) enabling superior uniformity of low rBTVand accordingly much higher TCB yield; (iii) significantly reducingprocessing costs by eliminating (or substantially reducing) the copperfills and/or planarization processing steps; (iv) enhancing EMIBpackages that enable active die integration with TSVs, and/or alsoenhancing multi-die packages with a reduced thickness variation thatenable high yield of large bridge die count packages and integration oflow cost actives; and (v) reducing the overall z-height of theelectronic packages by integrating multiple logic dies together ontosuch packages, and thus lowering the cost of server parts by havingmultiple smaller logic dies.

Additionally, some other important advantages of these embodimentsinclude: (vi) providing a clear path to bump pitch scaling below 40 um(also reducing further die side costs); (vii) reducing thicknessvariation at the first-level interconnects (FLI) by improving the TCByield and reducing the substrate rBTV yield loss; (viii) providingadditional/subsequent Sn bump planarization steps that can also beincluded prior to reflow (e.g., a single or double planarization step(s)may be selected based on the architecture and final rBTV requirements);(viii) improving the LiV processes by establishing/meeting low rBTV,while avoiding a need for Sn fill chemistry, and also using a litho viaSn bump plating, which includes a surface finish layer step, on a LiV SR(e.g., as shown illustrated below in FIGS. 5A-5F); and (ix) enablinghigh speed substrate (input/output) I/O architectures by overcomingissues with the current Sn FLI bump formation shown below with FIGS. 2-6. Accordingly, a first example of such embodiments is shown in FIG. 2 .

Referring now to FIG. 2 , a cross-sectional illustration of anelectronic package 200 with a low BTV is shown, in accordance with anembodiment. In an embodiment, the electronic package 200 may besubstantially similar to the electronic package 100, with the exceptionthat the solder resist openings 232 are entirely filled with conductivematerial regardless of their dimension or pitch. Whereas a recess isformed in the larger solder resist openings 132 in FIG. 1 , the largersolder resist openings 232 are entirely filled in FIG. 2 .

In one embodiment, the electronic package 200 may include a packagesubstrate 205. The package substrate 205 may comprise alternating layersof organic build-up layers and conductive (e.g., copper) routing layers207 and vias 208, as is known in the art. In an embodiment, a bridgesubstrate 280 may be embedded in the package substrate 105. In anembodiment, the bridge substrate 280 may be a silicon bridge or a bridgemade of any other substrate material that is suitable for formingbridges. In an embodiment, routing layers 207 and vias 208 mayelectrically couple first pads 210 and second pads 212 over the packagesubstrate 205 to the bridge substrate 280 and other components and/orcircuitry in the electronic package 200.

In an embodiment, a solder resist layer 230 may be formed over thepackage substrate 205. The solder resist layer 230 may comprise aplurality of solder resist openings 231-232 that expose the first pads210 and second pads 212, respectively. In an embodiment, the first pads210 may have a tighter pitch and a smaller dimension than the secondpads 212. As such, in this embodiment, the solder resist openings 231over the first pads 210 may also have a smaller diameter (or a tighterpitch and a smaller dimension) than the solder resist openings 232 overthe second pads 2 12.

In an embodiment, the solder resist openings 232 may be completelyfilled because the conductive material 214 and 216 is formed prior todepositing the solder resist layer 230. That is, the conductive material214 and 216 may be formed with a lithographically defined process andthe solder resist layer 230 may subsequently be deposited over andaround the copper platings 214 and 216. Note that such a process will bedescribed in greater detail below with respect to FIGS. 3A-3H.

Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 2 , the top surfaces of the conductivematerial 214 and 216 may be substantially coplanar with a top surface230 a of the solder resist layer 230. Since the underlying conductivematerial 214 and 216 has a uniform thickness, subsequently depositedsolder bumps 222 and 224 will have a low BTV. As illustrated andcompared to FIG. 1 , the first solder bumps 222 formed over tightlyspaced first pads 210 and the second solder bumps 224 formed over largersecond pads 212 have a substantially low difference in the solder bumpheight D between such configurations. For example, the BTV between thefirst solder bumps 222 and the second solder bumps 224 may beapproximately less than 10 um. In other embodiments, the BTV between thefirst solder bumps 222 and the second solder bumps 224 may beapproximately less than 7 um. Additionally, for other embodiments, theBTV between the first solder bumps 222 and the second solder bumps 224may be approximately less than 7 um.

FIGS. 3A-3H are a series of cross-sectional illustrations that depict aprocess using lithographically defined vias to provide solder bumps withlow BTV, in accordance with an embodiment. As described above, FIGS.3A-3H illustrate one of the approaches that enable overcoming the lackof via filling Sn chemistries to form solder bumps while maintaining alow rBTV. In an embodiment, the electronic package 300 of FIGS. 3A-3Hmay be substantially similar to the electronic package 200 of FIG. 2 .In these embodiments, the electronic package 300 may be implemented witha LiV concept used to form conformal solder bumps with a low rBTV, wherea copper plating may be disposed using a conventional SAP process afterthe formation of the SROs.

Referring now to FIG. 3A, a cross-sectional illustration of anelectronic package 300 with over-plated conductive materials 316 and 314is shown, in accordance with an embodiment. In one embodiment, theelectronic package 300 may include a package substrate 305. The packagesubstrate 305 may comprise alternating layers of organic build-up layersand conductive (e.g., copper) routing layers 307 and vias 308, as isknown in the art. In an embodiment, a bridge substrate 380 may beembedded in the package substrate 105. In an embodiment, the bridgesubstrate 380 may be a silicon bridge or a bridge made of any othersubstrate material that is suitable for forming bridges. In anembodiment, routing layers 307 and vias 308 may electrically couplefirst pads 310 and second pads 312 over the package substrate 305 to thebridge substrate 380 and other components and/or circuitry in theelectronic package 300.

In an embodiment, a solder resist layer 330 may be formed over thepackage substrate 305. The solder resist layer 330 may comprise aplurality of solder resist openings 331-332 that expose the first pads310 and second pads 312, respectively. In an embodiment, the first pads310 may have a tighter pitch and a smaller dimension than the secondpads 312. As such, in this embodiment, the solder resist openings 331over the first pads 310 may also have a smaller diameter (or a tighterpitch and a smaller dimension) than the solder resist openings 332 overthe second pads 312.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3A, the conductive materials 316and 314 are formed of copper that has been over plated (or overdeposited) so that the conductive materials 316 and 314 are protrudingover a first dielectric 306. In an embodiment, the conductive materials316 and 314 (e.g., Cu, Al, Au, Ni, Ag, or the like) may be overdeposited above the SROs 332 and the first dielectric 306 to form theover-plated conductive layer/material. The conductive materials 316 and314 may be deposited using any suitable method, for example, asputtering process, an evaporation process, a printing process (e.g., a3D printing process), a jetting process, an electroplating process, orthe like. In some embodiments, the dielectric 306 may be a polymermaterial such as, for example, polyimide, epoxy, or build-up film (BF).

Referring now to FIG. 3B, a cross-sectional illustration of anelectronic package 300 is shown after the over-plated conductivematerials 316 and 314 are planarized, in accordance with an embodiment.In an embodiment, the conductive materials 316 and 314 areplanarized/removed to form the respective conductive pads 311 and 309 byusing, for example, a polishing process. The polishing processillustrated in FIG. 3B ensures that the over-plated conductive materials316 and 314 is removed, but also ensures that the conductive pad 311 inthe large SRO and the conductive pad 309 in the small SRO are level thusreducing the thickness variations. In some examples, the polishingprocess also planarizes/removes a portion of the DFR 306. Suchplanarized surfaces may be formed by grinding, chemical mechanicalpolishing (CMP), or another known technique.

Referring now to FIG. 3C, a cross-sectional illustration of anelectronic package 300 with the exposed conductive pads 311 and 309 isshown, in accordance with an embodiment. In an embodiment, theelectronic package 300 removes the DFR 306 to expose the top surface 330a of the SR layer 330 and thus exposing the conductive pads 311 and 309.As shown in FIG. 3C, the top surfaces of both the smaller and largerconductive pads 309 and 311, respectively, have substantially the samethicknesses as measured from the top surface 330 a of the SR layer 330to the top surfaces of the conductive pads 309 and 311.

Referring now to FIG. 3D, a cross-sectional illustration of anelectronic package 300 with a second dielectric 317 is shown, inaccordance with an embodiment. In an embodiment, the electronic package300 includes disposing the second dielectric over the top surface 330 aof the SR layer 330 and the conductive pads 311 and 309. For oneembodiment, the second dielectric 317 is similar to the first dielectric306 of FIG. 3A.

Referring now to FIG. 3E, a cross-sectional illustration of anelectronic package 300 with one or more opening 344 and 342 is shown, inaccordance with an embodiment. According to an embodiment, thepatterning of the second dielectric 317 may be implemented with alithographic process (e.g., exposing the second dielectric 317 with aradiation source through a mask and developed with a developer) topattern the one or more openings 344 and 342 through the seconddielectric 317 and thus expose the top surfaces of the conductive pads311 and 309, respectively.

In some embodiments, the one or more openings 344 and 342 are patternedthrough the second dielectric layer 317 to define the subsequent solderbumps as shown below in FIGS. 3G-3H. According to one embodiment, thesecond dielectric layer 317 may be patterned to provide the openings 344and 342 for the subsequent formation of a first conductive layer (i.e.,the Sn plating layer).

Referring now to FIG. 3F, a cross-sectional illustration of anelectronic package 300 with conductive materials 323 and 321 is shown,in one embodiment. For one embodiment, the conductive materials 323 and321 are disposed over the openings 344 and 342 and the conductive pads311 and 309, respectively. As described above, the conductive materials323 and 321 may be formed with a Sn plating that may be implemented as aSAP process, where the Sn plating is conformal since there is no via/SROfilling involved. Note that, in one embodiment, the second dielectricopenings 344 and 342 are filled with the conductive materials 323 and321, where a top surface of the conductive materials 323 and 321 issubstantially coplanar with a top surface of the second dielectric layer317.

Referring now to FIG. 3G, a cross-sectional illustration of anelectronic package 300 is shown after the second dielectric layer 317has been removed/stripped to expose the conductive materials 323 and 321on the respective pads 311 and 309, in accordance with an embodiment. Asdescribed above, the conductive materials 323 and 321 may then beimplemented with a Sn planarization step.

Lastly, referring now to FIG. 3H, a cross-sectional illustration of anelectronic package 300 with solder bumps 324 and 322 is shown, accordingto one embodiment. In one embodiment, the conductive materials 323 and321 may go through a reflow process, where additional conductivematerial may be added, to then form the respective solder bumps 324 and322. That is, additional conductive material (i.e., Sn plating) may bedisposed on the top surfaces of the conductive materials 323 and 321after stripping the last dielectric (as shown in FIG. 3G) and polishingthe top surfaces of the conductive materials 324 and 322.

Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 3H, the top surfaces of the solder bumps324 may be substantially coplanar with the top surfaces of the solderbumps 322. For example, the solder bumps 322 formed over tightly spacedfirst pads 310 and the solder bumps 324 formed over larger second pads312 have a substantially low difference in the solder bump heightbetween such configurations. Since the underlying conductive material314 and 316 has a uniform thickness (i.e., the top surfaces of theconductive material 314 and 316 may be substantially coplanar with a topsurface 330 a of the solder resist layer 330), the subsequentlydeposited solder bumps 322 and 324 has a low BTV. As such, in oneembodiment, the BTV between the first solder bumps 322 and the secondsolder bumps 324 may be approximately less than 10 um. In otherembodiments, the BTV between the first solder bumps 322 and the secondsolder bumps 324 may be approximately less than 7 um. Additionally, forother embodiments, the BTV between the first solder bumps 322 and thesecond solder bumps 324 may be approximately less than 7 um.

FIGS. 4A-4F are a series of cross-sectional illustrations that depict aprocess using a self-aligned via (SAV) process to provide solder bumpswith low BTV, in accordance with an embodiment. As described above,FIGS. 4A-4F illustrate one of the approaches that enable overcoming thelack of via filling Sn chemistries to form solder bumps whilemaintaining a low rBTV. In some embodiments, the electronic package 400of FIGS. 4A-4F may be substantially similar to the electronic packages200 and 300 of FIGS. 2-3 , with the exception that the electronicpackage 400 may be implemented with two stacked dielectrics 406 and 417(e.g., unlike the process flow in FIG. 3 where the first dielectric hasto be removed initially).

Referring now to FIG. 4A, a cross-sectional illustration of anelectronic package 400 with over-plated conductive materials 416 and 414is shown, in accordance with an embodiment. In one embodiment, theelectronic package 400 may include a package substrate 405. The packagesubstrate 405 may comprise alternating layers of organic build-up layersand conductive (e.g., copper) routing layers 407 and vias 408, as isknown in the art. In an embodiment, a bridge substrate 480 may beembedded in the package substrate 405. In an embodiment, the bridgesubstrate 480 may be a silicon bridge or a bridge made of any othersubstrate material that is suitable for forming bridges. In anembodiment, routing layers 407 and vias 408 may electrically couplefirst pads 410 and second pads 412 over the package substrate 405 to thebridge substrate 480 and other components and/or circuitry in theelectronic package 400.

In an embodiment, a solder resist layer 430 may be formed over thepackage substrate 405. The solder resist layer 430 may comprise aplurality of solder resist openings 431-432 that expose the first pads410 and second pads 412, respectively. In an embodiment, the first pads410 may have a tighter pitch and a smaller dimension than the secondpads 412. As such, in this embodiment, the solder resist openings 431over the first pads 410 may also have a smaller diameter (or a tighterpitch and a smaller dimension) than the solder resist openings 432 overthe second pads 412.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 4A, the conductive materials 416and 414 are formed of copper that has been over plated (or overdeposited) so that the conductive materials 416 and 414 are protrudingover a first dielectric 406. In an embodiment, the conductive materials416 and 414 (e.g., Cu, Al, Au, Ni, Ag, or the like) may be overdeposited above the SROs 432 and the first dielectric 406 to form theover-plated conductive layer/material.

Referring now to FIG. 4B, a cross-sectional illustration of anelectronic package 400 is shown after the over-plated conductivematerials 416 and 414 are planarized, in accordance with an embodiment.In an embodiment, the conductive materials 416 and 414 areplanarized/removed to form the respective conductive pads 411 and 409 byusing, for example, a polishing process. The polishing processillustrated in FIG. 4B ensures that the over-plated conductive materials416 and 414 is removed, but also ensures that the conductive pad 411 inthe large SRO and the conductive pad 409 in the small SRO are level thusreducing the thickness variations. In some examples, the polishingprocess also planarizes/removes a portion of the first dielectric 406.Such planarized surfaces may be formed by grinding, chemical mechanicalpolishing (CMP), or another known technique.

Referring now to FIG. 4C, a cross-sectional illustration of anelectronic package 400 with a second dielectric 417 over the firstdielectric 406 is shown, in accordance with an embodiment. In oneembodiment, both the dielectrics 417 and 406 are patterned to form theopenings 444 and 442 which expose the top surfaces of the respectiveconductive pads 411 and 409. Note that, as compared to FIG. 3E, theopenings 444 and 442 may have a length (or a reduced diameter) that isless than the length of the respective conductive pads 411 and 409.

Referring now to FIG. 4D, a cross-sectional illustration of anelectronic package 400 with conductive materials 423 and 421 is shown,in one embodiment. For one embodiment, the conductive materials 423 and421 (e.g., a Sn plating) are disposed over the openings 444 and 442 andthe conductive pads 411 and 409, respectively. As described above, theconductive materials 423 and 421 may be formed with a Sn plating thatmay be implemented with a SAP process, where the Sn plating is conformalsince there is no via/SRO filling involved.

Referring now to FIG. 4E, a cross-sectional illustration of anelectronic package 400 is shown after the both dielectric layers 417 and406 have been removed/stripped to expose the conductive materials 423and 421 on the respective pads 411 and 409, in accordance with anembodiment. As described above, the conductive materials 423 and 421 maythen be implemented with a Sn planarization step.

Lastly, referring now to FIG. 4F, a cross-sectional illustration of anelectronic package 400 with solder bumps 424 and 422 is shown, accordingto one embodiment. In one embodiment, the conductive materials 423 and421 may go through a reflow process, where additional conductivematerial may be added, to then form the respective solder bumps 424 and422. That is, additional conductive material (i.e., Sn plating) may bedisposed on the top surfaces of the conductive materials 423 and 421after stripping the last dielectric (as shown in FIG. 4E) and polishingthe top surfaces of the conductive materials 424 and 422.

Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 4F, the top surfaces of the solder bumps424 may be substantially coplanar with the top surfaces of the solderbumps 422. For example, the solder bumps 422 formed over tightly spacedfirst pads 410 and the solder bumps 424 formed over larger second pads412 have a substantially low difference in the solder bump heightbetween such configurations. Since the underlying conductive material414 and 416 has a uniform thickness (i.e., the top surfaces of theconductive material 414 and 416 may be substantially coplanar with a topsurface 430 a of the solder resist layer 430), the subsequentlydeposited solder bumps 422 and 424 has a low BTV. As such, in oneembodiment, the BTV between the first solder bumps 422 and the secondsolder bumps 424 may be approximately less than 10 um. In otherembodiments, the BTV between the first solder bumps 422 and the secondsolder bumps 424 may be approximately less than 7 um. Additionally, forother embodiments, the BTV between the first solder bumps 422 and thesecond solder bumps 424 may be approximately less than 7 um.

FIGS. 5A-5F are a series of cross-sectional illustrations that depict aprocess using lithographically defined vias to provide solder bumps withlow BTV, in accordance with an embodiment. FIGS., 5A-5F illustrate analternative approach using a LiV process to meet low rBTV while avoidinga need for Sn fill chemistry by using a litho via Sn bump plating on alitho via solder resist (SR) layer. For example, as illustrated below,FIGS. 5A-5F show that an SR pillar may be formed by a LiV processinstead of using a SR via that may be formed by a laser drillingprocess. As such, in the embodiments of FIGS. 5A-5F, the SR may bedisposed/laminated on the top of the pillars followed by the pillarsbeing revealed using planarization, and accordingly a litho via Sn bumpmay be plated on the top of the revealed SR pillar layer using the sameprocesses as described above.

In some embodiments, the electronic package 500 of FIGS. 5A-5F may besimilar to the electronic packages 200, 300, and 400 of FIGS. 2-4 , withthe exception that the electronic package 500 may be implemented with amulti-die package patch, a surface finish, and a litho via Sn bumpplating on a LiV SR layer (as described above).

Referring now to FIG. 5A, a cross-sectional illustration of anelectronic package 500 is shown after a conductive layer has beenpolished and a dielectric has been removed, in accordance with anembodiment. In one embodiment, the electronic package 500 may include apackage substrate 505. The package substrate 505 may comprisealternating layers of organic build-up layers and conductive (e.g.,copper) routing layers 507 and vias 508, as is known in the art. In anembodiment, a bridge substrate 580 may be embedded in the packagesubstrate 505. In an embodiment, the bridge substrate 580 may be asilicon bridge or a bridge made of any other substrate material that issuitable for forming bridges. Additionally, in this embodiment, a die581 may also be embedded in the package substrate 505 and disposedadjacent to the bridge 580. In an embodiment, routing layers 507 andvias 508 may electrically couple first pads 510 and second pads 512 overthe package substrate 505 to the bridge substrate 580, the die 581, andother components and/or circuitry in the electronic package 500. Alsonote that the conductive layer that includes the first and second pads510 and 512 have been implemented with a planarization process asdescribed herein.

Referring now to FIG. 5B, a cross-sectional illustration of anelectronic package 500 with conductive materials 514 and 516 is shown,in accordance with an embodiment. In an embodiment, the conductivematerials 516 and 514 may be disposed on the respective pads 512 and 510to form pillars, and subsequently the pillars 516 and 514 may beplanarized by using, for example, a polishing process.

Referring now to FIG. 5C, a cross-sectional illustration of anelectronic package 500 with a solder resist layer 530 is shown, inaccordance with an embodiment. In one embodiment, the solder resistlayer 530 may be formed over the pads 510 and 512, the pillars 514 and516, and the package substrate 505.

Referring now to FIG. 5D, a cross-sectional illustration of anelectronic package 500 with exposed top surfaces 514 a and 516 a of thepillars 514 and the 516 is shown, in accordance with an embodiment. Inone embodiment, portions of the solder resist layer 530 may be removedto expose the top surfaces 514 a and 516 a of the pillars 514 and the516, respectively. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 5D, the topsurfaces 514 a and 516 a of the pillars 514 and the 516 may besubstantially coplanar with a top surface 530 a of the solder resistlayer 530. Also note that the electronic package 500 may comprise aplurality of solder resist openings 531-532 over the first pads 510 andsecond pads 512, respectively. In an embodiment, the first pads 510 mayhave a tighter pitch and a smaller dimension than the second pads 512.As such, in this embodiment, the solder resist openings 531 over thefirst pads 510 may also have a smaller diameter (or a tighter pitch anda smaller dimension) than the solder resist openings 532 over the secondpads 512.

Referring now to FIG. 5E, a cross-sectional illustration of anelectronic package 500 with conductive materials 523 and 521, a surfacefinish layer 590, and a dielectric 506 is shown, in one embodiment. Forone embodiment, the conductive materials 523 and 521 (e.g., a litho Snbump plating) are disposed over the dielectric 506 and the surfacefinish layer 590 (e.g., a NiPAu surface finish/coating), where thesurface finish layer 590 may be disposed over the dielectric 506 andabove the exposed top surfaces 514 a and 516 a of the pillars 514 andthe 516, respectively. As described above, the conductive materials 523and 521 may be formed with a Sn plating that may be implemented with aSAP process, where the Sn plating is conformal since there is no via/SROfilling involved. In addition, in one embodiment, the surface finishlayer 590 may include one or more conductively materials, such as aNiPAu surface finish/coating. Note that, in an alternative embodiment,the surface finish layer may be omitted based on the desired packagingdesign/application.

Lastly, referring now to FIG. 5F, a cross-sectional illustration of anelectronic package 500 is shown after the dielectric was removed,according to one embodiment. In one embodiment, after the dielectric 506is removed, the top surfaces of the conductive material 521 (i.e., aconductive plated bump) may be substantially coplanar with the topsurfaces of the conductive material 523 (i.e., a conductive plated bump)as shown in FIG. 5F. For example, the conductive material 521 formedover tightly spaced first pads 510 and conductive material 523 formedover larger second pads 512 have a substantially low difference in thebump height between such configurations. Since the underlying conductivematerial 514 and 516 has a uniform thickness (i.e., the top surfaces ofthe conductive material 514 and 516 may be substantially coplanar with atop surface 530 a of the solder resist layer 530), the subsequentlydeposited bumps 521 and 523 have a low BTV. As such, in one embodiment,the BTV between the conductive material 521 and the conductive material523 may be approximately less than 10 um. In other embodiments, the BTVbetween the conductive material 521 and the conductive material 523 maybe approximately less than 7 um. Additionally, for other embodiments,the BTV between the conductive material 521 and the conductive material523 may be approximately less than 7 um.

FIGS. 6A-6H are a series of cross-sectional illustrations that depict aprocess using a conformal tin fill to provide solder bumps with low BTV,in accordance with an embodiment. In some embodiments, the electronicpackage 600 of FIGS. 6A-6H may be similar to the electronic packages200, 300, 400, and 500 of FIGS. 2-5 . In addition, the process of FIGS.6A-6H is substantially similar to the packages of FIGS. 2-5 andillustrate an approach that overcomes the need for Sn filling chemistryby enabling a process flow that will enable conformal Sn fill. Forexample, the process of FIGS. 6A-6H may omit copper fill and/orplanarization steps which may result in much lower costs. Accordingly,the process flow of FIGS. 6A-6H may enable a conformal process that mayresult in increased uniformity of bump height (or low rBTV) andaccordingly much higher TCB yield at bump pitches of, for example,approximately 40 um or lower.

Referring now to FIG. 6 , a cross-sectional illustration of anelectronic package 600 with first and second pads 610 and 612 on a topsurface 605a of a substrate 605 is shown, in accordance with anembodiment. In one embodiment, the electronic package 600 may includethe package substrate 605. The package substrate 605 may comprisealternating layers of organic build-up layers and conductive (e.g.,copper) routing layers 607 and vias 608, as is known in the art. In anembodiment, a bridge substrate 680 may be embedded in the packagesubstrate 605. In an embodiment, the bridge substrate 680 may be asilicon bridge or a bridge made of any other substrate material that issuitable for forming bridges. In an embodiment, routing layers 607 andvias 608 may electrically couple the first pads 610 and second pads 612over the package substrate 605 to the bridge substrate 680 and othercomponents and/or circuitry in the electronic package 600.

Referring now to FIG. 6B, a cross-sectional illustration of anelectronic package 600 with a solder resist layer 630 is shown, inaccordance with an embodiment. In one embodiment, the solder resistlayer 630 may be patterned over the top surface 605a of the substrate605 to form the openings 631 over the first pads 610 and the openings632 over the second pads 612. Accordingly, the solder resist layer 630may have a plurality of solder resist openings 631-632 that expose thefirst pads 610 and second pads 612, respectively. In an embodiment, thefirst pads 610 may have a tighter pitch and a smaller dimension than thesecond pads 612. As such, in this embodiment, the solder resist openings631 over the first pads 610 may also have a smaller diameter (or atighter pitch and a smaller dimension) than the solder resist openings632 over the second pads 612.

Referring now to FIG. 6C, a cross-sectional illustration of anelectronic package 600 with a surface finish 690 is shown. In oneembodiment, the surface finish 690 (e.g., a NiPAu surface finish) may besimilar to the surface finish 590 of FIG. 5F. As shown in FIG. 6C, thesurface finish 690 may formed in the openings 631-632 and on the topsurfaces of the first and second pads 610 and 612, respectively.Additionally, as shown in FIG. 6D, a seed layer 635 (e.g., a Cu seedlayer) may be disposed over the top surface 630 a of the solder resistlayer 630 (note that this includes the sidewalls of the solder resistopenings) and the top surfaces of the surface finish 690, according toan embodiment. In one embodiment, the seed layer 635 may be formed withany known litho plating techniques, such as electrolessplating/sputtering.

Referring now to FIG. 6E, a cross-sectional illustration of anelectronic package 600 with a dielectric 606 is shown, in accordancewith an embodiment. In one embodiment, the dielectric 606 may bepatterned over the top surface 630 a of the solder resist layer 630 toform the openings 641 over the first pads 610 and the openings 642 overthe second pads 612. Accordingly, the dielectric 606 may have aplurality of solder resist openings 641-642 that expose the top surfacesof the seed layer 635 disposed over first pads 610 and second pads 612,respectively. Note that the openings 641-642 of the dielectric 606 maycover the sidewalls of the solder resist layer 630 that are covered withthe seed layer 635 (as shown in the enlarged, detailed illustration ofFIG. 6F).

Referring now to FIG. 6F, a cross-sectional illustration of anelectronic package 600 with conductive materials 623 and 621 is shown,according to an embodiment. In one embodiment, the conductive materials621 and 623 (e.g., litho Sn bumps) are disposed into the respectiveopenings 641-642 of the dielectric 606 and formed over the exposed topsurfaces of the seed layer 635. As described above, the conductivematerials 623 and 621 may be formed with a Sn plating that may beimplemented with a SAP process, where the Sn plating is conformal sincethere is no via/SRO filling involved.

Referring now to FIG. 6G, a cross-sectional illustration of anelectronic package 600 is shown after the dielectric and exposed seedlayer was removed, according to one embodiment. In one embodiment, afterthe dielectric 606 is removed, the top surfaces of the conductivematerial 621 (i.e., a conductive plated bump) may be substantiallycoplanar with the top surfaces of the conductive material 623 (i.e., aconductive plated bump) as shown in FIG. 6F. For example, the conductivematerial 621 formed over tightly spaced first pads 610 and conductivematerial 623 formed over larger second pads 612 have a substantially lowdifference in the bump height between such configurations.

Referring now to FIG. 6H, a cross-sectional illustration of anelectronic package 600 with solder bumps 624 and 622 is shown, accordingto one embodiment. In one embodiment, the conductive materials 623 and621 may go through a reflow process, where additional conductivematerial may be added, to then form the respective solder bumps 624 and622. That is, additional conductive material (i.e., Sn plating) may bedisposed on the top surfaces of the conductive materials 623 and 621after stripping the last dielectric and remaining seed layer (as shownin FIG. 6G).

Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 6H, the top surfaces of the solder bumps624 may be substantially coplanar with the top surfaces of the solderbumps 622. For example, the solder bumps 622 formed over tightly spacedfirst pads 610 and the solder bumps 624 formed over larger second pads612 have a substantially low difference in the solder bump heightbetween such configurations. Since the underlying conductive material621 and 623 had a uniform thickness (e.g., as shown in FIG. 6G), thesubsequently deposited bumps 622 and 624 have a low BTV. As such, in oneembodiment, the BTV between the first solder bumps 622 and the secondsolder bumps 624 may be approximately less than 10 um. In otherembodiments, the BTV between the first solder bumps 622 and the secondsolder bumps 624 may be approximately less than 7 um. Additionally, forother embodiments, the BTV between the first solder bumps 622 and thesecond solder bumps 624 may be approximately less than 7 um.

FIG. 7 illustrates a semiconductor package 700 including a die 714, asubstrate 712 (or an interposer), interconnect structures (e.g., theplurality of bumps disposed below the die 714 and the substrate 712),and the package substrate 702, where the substrate 712 and/or thepackage substrate 702 may have one or more electronic packages withuniform solder thicknesses over mixed bump pitch architectures,according to some embodiments.

For one embodiment, the semiconductor package 700 may implement thesubstrate 712 and/or the package substrate 702 to include an electronicpackage/device 750 with uniform solder thicknesses over mixed bump pitcharchitectures, according to one embodiment. For one embodiment, theelectronic package(s) 750 of the substrate 712 and/or the packagesubstrate 702 may be similar to the electronic packages of FIGS. 2-6 .Note that the semiconductor package 700 is not limited to theillustrated semiconductor packaged system, and thus may bedesigned/formed with fewer, alternate, or additional packagingcomponents and/or with different interconnecting structures. In someembodiments, the electronic package(s) 750 may be implemented to disposeSn conformal/uniform solder thicknesses over mixed bump pitcharchitectures. Note that, in some embodiments, the package substrate 702and/or the substrate 712 may be similar to the package substratesillustrated in FIGS. 2-6 .

According to one embodiment, the semiconductor package 700 is merely oneexample of an embodiment of a semiconductor packaged system. For oneembodiment, the semiconductor package 700 may include a land grid array(LGA) package and/or a pin grid array (PGA) package. For one embodiment,a die 714 (or an integrated circuit die) is coupled to a substrate 712(e.g., an interposer) via one or more bumps/joints formed fromrespective microbumps. As described above, a solder joint formed bysoldering of a microbump according to an embodiment may itself bereferred to as a “bump” and/or a “microbump.” Additionally, for otherembodiments, the die 714, the substrate 712, and the package substrate702 may be coupled using anisotropic conductive film (ACF). For oneembodiment, the substrate 712 may be, but is not limited to, a siliconinterposer and/or a die with through silicon vias (TSVs). For analternate embodiment, the semiconductor package 700 may omit theinterposer/substrate 712.

For some embodiments, the semiconductor package 700 may have the die 714disposed on the interposer 712, where both the stacked die 714 andinterposer 712 are disposed on a package substrate 702. According tosome embodiments, the package substrate 702 may include, but is notlimited to, a package, a substrate, a PCB, and a motherboard. For oneembodiment, the package substrate 702 is a PCB. For one embodiment, thePCB is made of an FR-4 glass epoxy base with thin copper foil laminatedon both sides. For certain embodiments, a multilayer PCB can be used,with pre-preg and copper foil used to make additional layers. Forexample, the multilayer PCB may include one or more dielectric layers,where each dielectric layer can be a photosensitive dielectric layer.For some embodiments, holes may be drilled in the PCB 702. For oneembodiment, the PCB 702 may also include conductive layers that comprisecopper lines/traces, metallic pads, vias, via pads, planes, and/orholes.

For one embodiment, the die 714 may include, but is not limited to, asemiconductor die, an electronic device (e.g., a wireless device), anintegrated circuit, a CPU, a microprocessor, a platform controller hub(PCH), a memory, and a FPGA. The die 714 may be formed from a materialsuch as silicon and have circuitry thereon that is to be coupled to theinterposer 712. Although some embodiments are not limited in thisregard, the package substrate 702 may in turn be coupled to anotherbody, for example, a computer motherboard. One or more connectionsbetween the package substrate 702, the interposer 712, and the die714—e.g., including some or all of bumps 716, 718, and 720—may includeone or more interconnect structures and underfill layers 726 and 728. Insome embodiments, these interconnect structures (or connections) mayvariously comprise an alloy of nickel, palladium, and tin (and, in someembodiments, Cu).

Connections between the package substrate 702 and another body may bemade using any suitable structure, such as the illustrative bumps 720shown. The package substrate 702 may include a variety of electronicstructures formed thereon or therein. The interposer 712 may alsoinclude electronic structures formed thereon or therein, which may beused to couple the die 714 to the package substrate 702. For oneembodiment, one or more different materials may be used for forming thepackage substrate 702 and the interposer 712. In certain embodiments,the package substrate 702 is an organic substrate made up of one or morelayers of polymer base material, with conducting regions fortransmitting signals. In certain embodiments, the interposer 712 is madeup of a ceramic base material including metal regions for transmittingsignals. Although some embodiments are not limited in this regard, thesemiconductor package 700 may include gap control structures 730—e.g.,positioned between the package substrate 702 and the interposer 712.Such gap control structures 730 may mitigate a change in the height ofthe gap between the package substrate 702 and the interposer 712, whichotherwise might occur during reflowing while die 714 is attached tointerposer 712. Note that the semiconductor package 700 includes anunderfill material 728 between the interposer 712 and the die 714, andan underflow material 726 between the package substrate 702 and theinterposer 712. For one embodiment, the underfill materials (or layers)726 and 728 may be one or more polymers that are injected between thelayers. For other embodiments, the underfill materials may be moldedunderfills (MUF).

Note that the semiconductor package 700 may include fewer or additionalpackaging components based on the desired packaging design.

FIG. 8 illustrates a computing device 800 including a device package 810with one or more electronic packages with uniform solder thicknessesover mixed bump pitch architectures, in accordance with oneimplementation of the invention. The computing device 800 houses a board802. The board 802 may include a number of components, including but notlimited to a processor 804 and at least one communication chip 806. Theprocessor 804 is physically and electrically coupled to the board 802.In some implementations the at least one communication chip 806 is alsophysically and electrically coupled to the board 802. In furtherimplementations, the communication chip 806 is part of the processor804.

These other components include, but are not limited to, volatile memory(e.g., DRAM), non-volatile memory (e.g., ROM), flash memory, a graphicsprocessor, a digital signal processor, a crypto processor, a chipset, anantenna, a display, a touchscreen display, a touchscreen controller, abattery, an audio codec, a video codec, a power amplifier, a globalpositioning system (GPS) device, a compass, an accelerometer, agyroscope, a speaker, a camera, and a mass storage device (such as harddisk drive, compact disk (CD), digital versatile disk (DVD), and soforth).

The communication chip 806 enables wireless communications for thetransfer of data to and from the computing device 800. The term“wireless” and its derivatives may be used to describe circuits,devices, systems, methods, techniques, communications channels, etc.,that may communicate data through the use of modulated electromagneticradiation through a non-solid medium. The term does not imply that theassociated devices do not contain any wires, although in someembodiments they might not. The communication chip 806 may implement anyof a number of wireless standards or protocols, including but notlimited to Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11 family), WiMAX (IEEE 802.16 family), IEEE802.20, long term evolution (LTE), Ev-DO, HSPA+, HSDPA+, HSUPA+, EDGE,GSM, GPRS, CDMA, TDMA, DECT, Bluetooth, derivatives thereof, as well asany other wireless protocols that are designated as 3G, 4G, 5G, andbeyond.

The computing device 800 may include a plurality of communication chips806. For instance, a first communication chip 806 may be dedicated toshorter range wireless communications such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and asecond communication chip 806 may be dedicated to longer range wirelesscommunications such as GPS, EDGE, GPRS, CDMA, WiMAX, LTE, Ev-DO, andothers.

The processor 804 of the computing device 800 includes an integratedcircuit die packaged within the processor 804. In some implementationsof the invention, the integrated circuit die of the processor may bepackaged on a device package 810 that has uniform solder thicknessesover mixed bump pitch architectures, in accordance with embodimentsdescribed herein. The term “processor” may refer to any device orportion of a device that processes electronic data from registers and/ormemory to transform that electronic data into other electronic data thatmay be stored in registers and/or memory.

The communication chip 806 also includes an integrated circuit diepackaged within the communication chip 806. In accordance with anotherimplementation of the invention, the integrated circuit die of thecommunication chip may be packaged on a device package 810 that hasuniform solder thicknesses over mixed bump pitch architectures, inaccordance with embodiments described herein.

The above description of illustrated implementations of the invention,including what is described in the Abstract, is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed.While specific implementations of, and examples for, the invention aredescribed herein for illustrative purposes, various equivalentmodifications are possible within the scope of the invention, as thoseskilled in the relevant art will recognize.

These modifications may be made to the invention in light of the abovedetailed description. The terms used in the following claims should notbe construed to limit the invention to the specific implementationsdisclosed in the specification and the claims. Rather, the scope of theinvention is to be determined entirely by the following claims, whichare to be construed in accordance with established doctrines of claiminterpretation.

In the foregoing specification, embodiments have been described withreference to specific exemplary embodiments thereof. It should be bornein mind, however, that all of these and similar terms are to beassociated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merelyconvenient labels applied to these quantities. It will be evident thatvarious modifications may be made thereto without departing from thebroader spirit and scope. The specification and drawings are,accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative sense rather than arestrictive sense.

The following examples pertain to further embodiments. The variousfeatures of the different embodiments may be variously combined withsome features included and others excluded to suit a variety ofdifferent applications.

The following examples pertain to further embodiments:

EXAMPLE 1

An electronic package: a package substrate; first conductive pads formedover the package substrate, wherein the first conductive pads have afirst surface area; second conductive pads over the package substrate,wherein the second conductive pads have a second surface area that isgreater than the first surface area; a solder resist layer over thefirst conductive pads and the second conductive pads; a plurality ofsolder resist openings through the solder resist layer, wherein each ofthe solder resist openings expose one of the first conductive pads orthe second conductive pads, wherein the solder resist openings arefilled with conductive material, and wherein a top surface of theconductive material is substantially coplanar with a top surface of thesolder resist layer; and solder bumps over the conductive material inthe solder resist openings.

EXAMPLE 2

The electronic package of Example 1, wherein the solder bumps have a lowbump thickness variation (BTV).

EXAMPLE 3

The electronic package of Example 1 or Example 2, wherein the BTV isless than 5 um.

EXAMPLE 4

The electronic package of Examples 1-3, further comprising: a bridgesubstrate embedded in the package substrate.

EXAMPLE 5

The electronic package of Examples 1-4, wherein the first conductivepads are formed above the bridge substrate.

EXAMPLE 6

The electronic package of Examples 1-5, the conductive pads extend overa top surface of the solder resist.

EXAMPLE 7

The electronic package of Examples 1-6, wherein the solder bumps areover the pads.

EXAMPLE 8

The electronic package of Examples 1-7, wherein the conductive materialthrough the solder resist is are lithographically defined columns.

EXAMPLE 9

The electronic package of Examples 1-8, wherein the lithographicallydefined columns have substantially vertical sidewalls.

EXAMPLE 10

The electronic package of Examples 1-9, wherein the solder resistopenings have non-vertical sidewalls.

EXAMPLE 11

The electronic package of Examples 1-10, wherein the solder resistopenings are formed with an etching process.

EXAMPLE 12

The electronic package of Examples 1-11, wherein the conductive materialbelow the first conductive pads is lithographically defined, and whereinthe conductive material below the second conductive pads is notlithographically defined.

EXAMPLE 13

A method of forming an electronic package, comprising: embedding abridge substrate in a packaging substrate; forming first vias to thebridge substrate; forming second vias to electrical routing in thepackaging substrate; forming first conductive pads over the first vias,wherein the first conductive pads have a first surface area; and formingsecond conductive pads over the second vias, wherein the secondconductive pads have a second surface area that is greater than thefirst surface area.

EXAMPLE 14

The method of Example 13, wherein the first vias are lithographicallydefined vias.

EXAMPLE 15

The method of Example 13 or Example 14, further comprising a solderresist layer around the first vias and the second vias.

EXAMPLE 16

The method of Examples 13-15, wherein the first vias and the second viasare substantially coplanar with a top surface of the solder resistlayer.

EXAMPLE 17

The method of Examples 13-16, further comprising: plating a soldermaterial over the first conductive pads and the second conductive pads.

EXAMPLE 18

The method of Examples 13-17, further comprising: reflowing the soldermaterial to form solder bumps.

EXAMPLE 19

The method of Examples 13-18, wherein the solder bumps have a low bumpthickness variation (BTV).

EXAMPLE 20

The method of Examples 13-19, wherein the BTV is less than 5 um.

EXAMPLE 21

The method of Examples 13-20, wherein the solder material is plated intoopenings formed in a dry film resist (DFR) layer.

EXAMPLE 22

The method of Examples 13-21, further comprising: planarizing the soldermaterial with a top surface of the DFR layer.

EXAMPLE 23

Sn electronic package: a package substrate; a bridge substrate embeddedin the package substrate; first conductive pads formed over the packagesubstrate, wherein the first conductive pads have a first surface area,wherein the first conductive pads are above the bridge substrate; secondconductive pads over the package substrate, wherein the secondconductive pads have a second surface area that is greater than thefirst surface area; a solder resist layer over the first conductive padsand the second conductive pads; a plurality of solder resist openingsthrough the solder resist layer, wherein each of the solder resistopenings expose one of the first conductive pads or the secondconductive pads, wherein the solder resist openings are filled withconductive material, and wherein a top surface of the conductivematerial is substantially coplanar with a top surface of the solderresist layer; and solder bumps over the conductive material in thesolder resist openings.

EXAMPLE 24

The electronic package of Example 23, wherein the conductive materialbelow the first pads are lithographically defined.

EXAMPLE 25

The electronic package of Example 23 or Example 24, wherein the solderbumps have a bump thickness variation (BTV) less than 5 um.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of forming an electronic package,comprising: embedding a bridge substrate in a packaging substrate;forming first vias to the bridge substrate; forming second vias toelectrical routing in the packaging substrate; forming first conductivepads over the first vias, wherein the first conductive pads have a firstsurface area; and forming second conductive pads over the second vias,wherein the second conductive pads have a second surface area that isgreater than the first surface area.
 2. The method of claim 1, whereinthe first vias are lithographically defined vias.
 3. The method of claim1, further comprising a solder resist layer around the first vias andthe second vias.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first vias andthe second vias are substantially coplanar with a top surface of thesolder resist layer.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:plating a solder material over the first conductive pads and the secondconductive pads.
 6. The method of claim 5, further comprising: reflowingthe solder material to form solder bumps.
 7. The method of claim 6,wherein the solder bumps have a low bump thickness variation (BTV). 8.The method of claim 7, wherein the BTV is less than 5 um.
 9. The methodof claim 5, wherein the solder material is plated into openings formedin a dry film resist (DFR) layer.
 10. The method of claim 9, furthercomprising: planarizing the solder material with a top surface of theDFR layer.
 11. A method of fabricating an electronic package, the methodcomprising: forming first conductive pads formed over a packagesubstrate, wherein the first conductive pads have a first surface area;forming second conductive pads over the package substrate, wherein thesecond conductive pads have a second surface area that is greater thanthe first surface area; forming a solder resist layer over the firstconductive pads and the second conductive pads; forming a plurality ofsolder resist openings through the solder resist layer, wherein each ofthe solder resist openings expose one of the first conductive pads orthe second conductive pads, wherein the solder resist openings arefilled with conductive material, and wherein a top surface of theconductive material is substantially coplanar with a top surface of thesolder resist layer; and forming solder bumps over the conductivematerial in the solder resist openings.
 12. The method of claim 11,wherein the solder bumps have a low bump thickness variation (BTV). 13.The method of claim 12, wherein the BTV is less than 5 um.
 14. Themethod of claim 11, further comprising: embedding a bridge substrate inthe package substrate.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the firstconductive pads are formed above the bridge substrate.
 16. The method ofclaim 11, the conductive pads extend over a top surface of the solderresist.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the solder bumps are overthe pads.
 18. The method of claim 11, wherein the conductive materialthrough the solder resist is are lithographically defined columns. 19.The method of claim 18, wherein the lithographically defined columnshave substantially vertical sidewalls.
 20. The method of claim 11,wherein the solder resist openings have non-vertical sidewalls.
 21. Themethod of claim 20, wherein the solder resist openings are formed withan etching process.
 22. The method of claim 11, wherein the conductivematerial below the first conductive pads is lithographically defined,and wherein the conductive material below the second conductive pads isnot lithographically defined.